


Shelter in the Orchard

by EvilRobotCat



Category: Compilation of Final Fantasy VII
Genre: Angeal?, Cooking, Dancing Lessons, Festivals, Gen, Group Bonding, Reminiscing, Zack?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-01
Updated: 2021-03-01
Packaged: 2021-03-13 00:09:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,837
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29767734
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EvilRobotCat/pseuds/EvilRobotCat
Summary: On the run and out of supplies, Cloud orders the team to take a detour.  They find themselves outside an abandoned village, on what appears to be a very important day...
Comments: 5
Kudos: 7
Collections: FFVII Secret Spring





	Shelter in the Orchard

**Author's Note:**

  * For [ZScalantian](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ZScalantian/gifts).



"Hey... Let's stop here a minute."  
  
Cloud's words drew stares from his companions. They'd been on the run for several hours, barely stopping to breathe after a particularly difficult battle with a team of Shinra assassins. Not Turks or Soldiers, but something new, with electric blue uniforms that probably glowed in the dark. Down to their last potion and surrounded on three sides, they'd made the very practical decision to run like hell.  
  
Tifa granted Cloud a polite, if uncertain smile.  
  
"Sure that's a good idea? Those Shinra guys might still be close behind us. Maybe we should keep moving."  
  
Cloud frowned back, just as confused by his insistence. Despite the sense in Tifa's words, he doubled down.  
  
"I don't think they're gonna find us. Let's hook a right at that fork up there."  
  
"Might as well," Cid agreed with a shrug. "If they do catch up, we're fucked no matter where we are."  
  
With that grim logic hovering above their heads like one of Cait Sith's hooded skeletons, everyone followed Cloud's guidance without another question.  
  
The road quickly gave way to cobblestones, then nothing but well-worn dirt half reclaimed by weeds. Grass grew tall on both sides, and sometimes right across, causing the team to split up and look around until they rediscovered the way. Wherever the path led, it hadn't been used in several years.  
  
Here and there scrubby saplings clustered in vague rectangles, hinting that buildings had once lined the path. Oddly-shaped trees grew everywhere, some sagging under the weight of unpicked fruit, others in full blossom. The sweet and floral scents combined in the air to make a soothing perfume. Despite the danger behind them, the group's pace slowed. Feelings of tension melted into ease - and hunger.  
  
Without the need for discussion, the party gradually drifted off the path and into an overgrown orchard. The threat of the mysterious assassins faded from all minds as they helped themselves to the purple fruit.  
  
"Hey, these are dumbapples, right?" Yuffie asked. "I always wanted to try one. We can't grow 'em in Wutai. Just the regular kind."  
  
"We must be somewhere outside Banora," Cid guessed. "Ever since Shinra bought out the orchards, the whole village closed up to outsiders. Stopped printin' the location on maps. Everybody moved out to Midgar or somethin'."  
  
"You think that's true?" Barret muttered.  
  
"Ehh, probably not. But they still make the juice, right? Somebody's gotta run the place."  
  
"Town's further that way," Cloud said with troubled eyes. They often were when he reminisced about his days in Soldier. "I... stopped here once. On a mission. Yeah. They had a... thing they'd do this time of year. A festival. But we had to head out before it happened."  
  
"I don't think it would be a good idea to waltz in and ask if they're celebrating it today," Tifa joked.  
  
Yuffie flopped to lie on her back in the grass. She stared up at the curved branches that sheltered them from the sun.  
  
"It's really pretty here, huh?"  
  
"It is," Tifa agreed, following her example.  
  
"Bet we could set up camp here tonight," Barret suggested. "Let Shinra think we went all the way to the next town, get 'em off our trail."  
  
With a soft smile, Aerith gave Cloud a nudge. "What was the festival for? A good harvest?"  
  
"No, the fruit kinda does its own thing. I think it was..."  
  
"The village's history?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"Did they dress up?"  
  
"Guess so." Cloud looked away to hide an uncomfortable blush. What was it with Aerith and... dresses...?  
  
"I wonder," Aerith continued on without him, "if everyone decorated their hair with the flowers."  
  
"They probably had dances, too," Tifa volunteered from where she lay. "In my hometown we had a dance we did every spring. I used to be pretty good at it."  
  
"We've got stuff like that in Wutai, too! Will you show me how to do yours if I teach you mine?"  
  
"Hmm. Okay, deal."  
  
"What, like now?"  
  
"Sure. Hop up. You, too, kitty!"  
  
"Me?" The fortune-telling robot, which had been dormant during the impromptu meal, jerked to life. It had a soft spot for the ladies in the team. Probably because of the men's increasingly suspicious glares. Twice now the Turks had found them on Cait Sith's watch. Even Aerith had suggested Cait's duties should be done in pairs from now on.  
  
"Yeah. You play music, right? We need music to dance."  
  
A lighthearted pop song emanated from somewhere inside the cat - where and how was best left unknown. The lyrics detailed Stamp's adventures in his latest movie, a remake of a classic almost thirty years old. Tifa pulled Yuffie to her feet to begin their dance lesson.  
  
"Okay, put your hands like this for the next - got it, and your feet here..."  
  
Yuffie dictated the moves with the confident authority of youth, and to her surprise, Tifa kept up with every step. The traditional moves were slower than the beat of Cait Sith's music, but neither seemed to care. Always scouting the world for materia, it had been a long time since Yuffie had been home for the seasonal dances. It had been even longer for Tifa.  
  
"If they're covering the dancing, I'll take the costumes," Aerith volunteered. "Vincent, will you help me?"  
  
"No."  
  
"I knew you'd want to! Come on, let's gather flowers."  
  
No one lifted a finger to save the distraught vampire as he was dragged off to pick flowers with Aerith.  
  
"Every town's got local stuff," Cid said with a wry smile. "Shera always wants me to go to the fairs back home, but..."  
  
"You should go," Barret urged him. "We don't have 'em in Corel anymore. Don't have anything."  
  
"What'd ya used to do?"  
  
"Lotta games. Races, arm wrestling, anything to prove how tough we were." Barret's smile deepened. Under his breath, he added, "And a little dancin'."  
  
"I heard that!" Tifa called over Cait Sith's speakers.  
  
"Let's see it, Barret!" Yuffie insisted. "You too, Cloud! I heard you can really move!"  
  
"Ugggggh."  
  
Cid gestured to the panther napping beside him.  
  
"Guess that puts us on food duty, Red. Let's see what we can scrounge up."  
  


* * *

  
  
Evening found the little dumbapple grove transformed. The unkempt grey trunks were gold in the light of a campfire, and the scent of skewered meat and roasted apples hovered around the impromptu festival. At Aerith's insistence, everyone wore a crown of flowers - dumbapple blossoms and purple wildflowers that doubled as a light, fresh spice for the meat at Vincent's suggestion.  
  
"Gotta admit, I thought you were gonna finally poison us all," Cid joked, "but this stuff tastes pretty good."  
  
"No poison can kill me," Vincent said darkly. His ominous words had less impact when offset by the ring of blossoms on his head.  
  
"So where'd you learn to cook?" Barret asked, unfazed. "Did they used to teach that to the Turks?"  
  
Vincent's eyes softened. "It was... something I picked up during my final assignment. Lucrecia's career took her to many places in her youth. She knew more about flora and fauna than anyone. She could have written books on the recipes she developed."  
  
"If she could turn a couple of weeds into a meal this tasty, she could probably survive anything. Maybe she's still out there."  
  
Vincent looked away quickly, and the longing in his eyes was shielded under heavy black hair.  
  
"If she is, she's likely an agent of Shinra."  
  
"Well..." Barret scratched the back of his head. It wasn't something he could deny. Shinra scientists were something beyond human. And yet to hear Vincent's words, this Lucrecia sounded like an angel. "People change sometimes. Don't give up until you know for sure what's in her heart."  
  
"Cloud, you're doing it wrong!" Yuffie complained loudly on the other side of the fire.  
  
"No'm not," Cloud grumbled. "Those're the steps for men."  
  
"Your memory's not that bad, is it?" Tifa teased playfully. "There's no gender rules for the spring dance. Everyone does the same steps."  
  
"Well-" Cloud's cheeks turned pink as he struggled to defend himself. "This is- it's..."  
  
Aerith came to his rescue and took his hand in hers.  
  
"I know that dance, too," she said. "It comes from a place called-"

_Where?_

Aerith tilted her head, then added, "You must have traveled there, once. I'll do it with you."  
  
With a partner who knew the moves, Cloud's awkward trips became graceful spins and dips. Less about rhythm and more about flow, the pair's steps quickly picked up to match the speed of the music. Aerith's dress floated up with every twist. The dim light of the fire obscured all the dirt from the day's harrowing trek.  
  
"It looks fun with two people." Yuffie waved her hands. "Someone be my partner! Cloud, dance with me next!"  
  
"Hm? Then who'll dance with me?" Tifa asked.  
  
"I will, of course," Aerith winked. "Everybody switch dance partners!"  
  


* * *

  
  
The sun rose long before the group woke up. Eyes gradually opened as sunlight washed over them through the leaves and flowers. For the first time in weeks, they'd slept under the stars without fear of Shinra or Sephiroth. Though surely just an illusion, the magic of the evening had protected them through the night. That magic would remain here when they left, but for a day it had refreshed their spirits and washed away the fear and exhaustion of the perils they had come through.  
  
The meat was long gone, but there was an abundance of apples for breakfast, and plenty more to stuff into the mostly empty backpack of supplies. Wilted flower crowns were shyly removed and left behind.  
  
"I'm gonna keep some of the seeds," Yuffie announced, "and plant them next time I'm home."  
  
"They won't do much," Cloud said. "Banora Whites are-"  
  
"I think they'll grow into beautiful trees," Aerith interrupted.  
  
"Yeah! Shows what you know, Cloud!"  
  
Outnumbered, Cloud shook his head and smiled.  
  
"Heh... yeah, they'll do fine."  
  
"Time to move," Barret said. "We got a job to do out there! Shinra won't know what hit 'em!"  
  
As they gathered their gear and returned to the path back to the road, Cloud couldn't resist falling behind and turning around to look at the trees. It felt like they'd left someone, but the grove was empty. And yet, he still felt a presence behind him, warm and content.  
  
 _See? Told you I'd make it back for your hometown festival._  
  
Told who? Cloud didn't know anyone from Banora.  
  
"Cloud, don't fall behind!"  
  
"Yeah, comin'!"  
  
Cloud jogged to catch up with the group. The sensation lingered, but it didn't bother him after all. He let out a quiet laugh at himself. The thoughts and visions that frequently invaded his mind were peaceful for once. He didn't need to question it.  
  
"Here, Cloud," Aerith said when he reached them. Last night was for-”

_Huh?_

“-so I made this one just for you."  
  
Aerith placed a fresh flower crown in his hair and he let it stay - at least until they reached the next town.

**Author's Note:**

> I don't often write about whole groups of characters, usually just two or three at a time. This was a challenge, but fun to write! One of the requests was for a festival in Banora, and I had a vision of Cloud and Co. visiting during their travels. The next thought was, "Who would lead them there, and why?" Zack wanting to keep a promise to Angeal, of course! Aerith figures out Cloud's dance is from Gongaga, and that's why he gets his own flower crown in the morning. (I know, I know, it should be obvious in the text, not in the notes!)
> 
> Anyway, I hope you enjoyed it!


End file.
